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The Kochi Corporation will shortly hand over the Konthuruthy river puramboke, cleared of encroachments to restore the river to its original width of 38 metres as directed by the Kerala High Court, to Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) for beautification.

The eviction of 126 families, pending since 2012, was among the major challenges faced by the United Democratic Front council upon assuming office. In an interim order dated December 16, 2025, the High Court directed eviction and rehabilitation of the affected families within four months. Compensation for rehabilitation was later fixed at ₹14 lakh per family, with the Corporation bearing nearly ₹18 crore of the cost. The State government’s contribution under the Life Mission was restricted to a meagre ₹1.26 crore.

“The land will be handed over to KMRL shortly for preparing a Detailed Project Report for beautification and water tourism projects. The State Government has agreed to allocate ₹42 crore for implementing the proposals,” said Mayor V.K. Minimol. The agenda for handing over the land is likely to be included in the next council meeting.

She claimed that demolition of structures and payment of rehabilitation amounts to all 126 families were completed within three months, with the final payment made in July. Seventeen families who had approached the Kerala High Court against eviction withdrew their cases and accepted compensation, while a few others were granted additional time to produce relevant documents, which they eventually did.

The eviction and demolition are expected to breathe new life into the river, which had been reduced to barely two metres in width at several points. Three-metre roads are proposed on either side of the restored river. “We already have three metres available for the proposed road on one side, while land under encroachment on the other side needs to be acquired,” Ms. Minimol added.

P.B. Siju, convenor of the now-defunct Konthuruthy Action Council, lamented that not all affected families had the means to move into rented accommodation. “We have no idea what those families are doing or where they have gone. It seems our eviction was the only priority, as nothing else appears to have been done at the site where we had lived for generations,” he said.